A Marriage Divided

The strains of modern relationships are difficult enough, says Kevin Voigt. But expats in Asia have it even tougher.

By

Kevin Voigt Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

Updated Sept. 23, 2005 12:01 a.m. ET

Perhaps he should have seen it coming. One day in early January, a 36-year-old Singapore-based financial adviser was playing with his two-year old daughter when she suddenly handed him an envelope she had found. When the British expatriate opened the letter, he was shocked at what he discovered: a love letter to his wife, dated Christmas Eve. He hadn't written it.

Suddenly the months of her absences -- chalked up to late business meetings -- and the appearance of new lingerie in her closet took on new meaning. "When I...